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Accusations of Abuse in Institutions

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The Evening Post
May 31, 2002

Silence is not golden
Letter to the Editor
by Phillida Bunkle, Waikanae


I applaud counsellor Brent Cherry for speaking up against the gagging orders used by the Catholic Church to silence the victims of sexual abuse when they reach out-of court settlements with victims (The Evening Post, May 20).

In my experience, these silencing provisions are thrust on victims whose lives are in turmoil from dealing with sexual abuse. They fear that if they do not accept them they will get no help.

By misusing its power in this way, the Church doubles the abuse.

Society is prevented from accurately identifying the problem or the perpetrators.

The silenced victim gets no social validation, and a sense of bewilderment about who caused the abuse continues.

Perhaps even more importantly, by silencing victims the Church isolates them from each other and is therefore never called to account for the extent of the abuse or its role in it.

The silencing orders thus perpetuate confusion about responsibility and prevent the Church from facing its own reality.

Sometimes these silencing orders do more than perpetuate the emotional and spiritual harm.

The sexual abuse of children by grown men frequently causes physical injury but the silenced victim is unable to seek appropriate medical care.

Mr Cherry is right; the Church must stop imposing gagging orders on its hapless child victims.